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While the United States is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is largely dominated by US-born players. Just five percent of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending college in the United States. True international figures are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which makes James Cook’s story remarkable.

James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of player development at the Browns organization. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in England, is in his late 20s, and never played pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing in his area and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his plans to attend college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d show up around London and toss the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he established the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to introduce them to college football, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, maximising efficiency on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a very hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding international athletes who had never played the game. Rookie newcomers also have to build structure and routines: learning to take care of their body and handle a huge game plan. But also just being available for players. That’s the same across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Englishman who never compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a perceived barrier than an real one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and loads of players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the similar things and require help in the same ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when people know that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Benefits of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the American football world has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have made it to the very top.

International Athletes and Their Journeys

International athletes have usually been kickers, recruited from other football codes. Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not trained in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at Nottingham University, has made that step. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s story is equally unlikely. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the from Italy was clearly not suited for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so started American football in his teenage years. He impressed while playing for teams in Austria and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see action on the field. Is being a foreigner still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they ask: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a really welcoming culture, a great team, a top franchise.”

Despite spending most of training with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his clubs. “Obviously the O-line is always very tight because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – was a receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents more than just his home countries. “In my view every nation beyond the United States. The better each one of us performs, the more young people who play football in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida annually to coach the next wave of aspiring NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back